I totally agree... Except the fact the installer has a direct Nextel connection to the home office for activation.

I'd hate to sit on hold for 30 min waiting to activate the cards...

If we can call an automated 800-number to activate our credit cards, why can't we do the same for CableCards? Someday, perhaps.

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There's no reason they can't just do it through a web page -- esp if they are already your ISP. Imagine the level of service if you just plug them in and fill out a form on-line. There's an additional upside... hundreds of people employed at something they are better suited to.

In most of the posts I read, it seems like the installer just hands us the cards and sits around until we're ready for him to call the head end.

I for one, would love that option. Assuming they actually show up next Sat, it'll have taken me 3 weeks of waiting in order to accomplish a 10 minute task - no wonder productivity in this country sucks.

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Can anyone do a simple layout on how the cards are installed so I can show the installer (if necessary).

There's no reason they can't just do it through a web page -- esp if they are already your ISP. Imagine the level of service if you just plug them in and fill out a form on-line. There's an additional upside... hundreds of people employed at something they are better suited to.

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Security and authentication would likely be the main stumbling blocks. You are entering information that goes into the cable system head end. However there should be a way to make it happen. But.... cableco hates cablecards.... I dont think they will be especially anxious to make it easy on us.

I am still having problems with Premium channels on TWC in Austin. After my 5th card I finally got the second tuner to work and it gets premium but not #1. I had them unpair and repair my card1 and it didn't help. I took out the cards and ran through the installation again using first card1 and then card2. Card1 actually required that it be repaired, I called in and did this and it started getting premium channels but then card2 will no longer get them. Timewarner things I need a new card but it doesn't seem the issue is with the cards. Because they've both been able to get premium at some point, just not the same point.

Had to replace one card that would not tune any digital channels. After several unpairings/ repairings, multiple hits etc, I am now getting everything on both tuners. Very happy!
My tech actually came up from San Marcos and didn't have any cards with him (he said they don't stock any in SM), but he took the time to track one down in the city, took him about an hour. He had never done any CableCARD installs, but he was eager to learn about them and the TiVo. His persistance paid off and everything worked out great.

Sort of. I have one card from 2004 and one from 2006. I get all HD and Premiums on both, but only the newer card gets all the digtal tier and analog channels. The old card can not tune digital tier channels for some reason, only analog. I worked with web chat support a few times yesterday and made it worse, getting error code 161-1 and at times, an endless loop of this message popping up (I can clear it if I am quick with the remote ). I have tech coming today to swap with a newer card.
I'm very close to having a fully functional system.

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That's very useful information, thanks! TW is sending another guy out tomorrow morning, and hopefully he'll have the 2006 cards with him. If not, I'll tell him what happened with you and we'll see what they can do. Also, please let me know if the new card they're bringing you also fixes the other tuner. Is the new card still a Scientific Atlanta card?

That's very useful information, thanks! TW is sending another guy out tomorrow morning, and hopefully he'll have the 2006 cards with him. If not, I'll tell him what happened with you and we'll see what they can do. Also, please let me know if the new card they're bringing you also fixes the other tuner. Is the new card still a Scientific Atlanta card?

-Brian

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I posted an update just above you, but I wasn't specific; the new card is dated 2005 and both are SA cards.

We never got past the point I last reported - namely everything works except the HD premium tier (starz, cinemax, espn, hdnet, hdnet2, inhd, inhd2). All other non-SDV channels appear to work properly on both tuners.

Between the installers & support, the cards were paired, re-paired, authorized, swapped, replaced and initialized about 10 times. They got quite good at it.

In every case, the outcome was the same. It's as if they can't authorize that tier.

Between all this, the PVRs in the house all lost authorization at had to be reauthorized. They continue to work correctly.

Ive got two S3s. TWC sent out contractor. Contractor installed two cable cards in first S3 and got working perfectly. All channels, HD and premium content. Been working perfectly.

Second S3 a different story. They have been out three times and installed 6 different cable cards. Sometimes I would get a few of the digital and HD channels, but not all. With the last set of cards I am receiving nothing but standard cable. Contractor says they have been having this problem with lots of customers. The TiVo setup shows the cards are authorized and working.

I really think the issue is with TWC not having their provisioning working and that they have been unable to properly "program" my cards on the second S3.

Contractor wants to come out again and replace cards for a forth time, but they say they dont have anymore in their warehouse and are going to get back to me. TWC has scheduled another "tech" to come out tomorrow and look at it.

Some how I fell that TWC doesnt feel particularly interested in solving the cablecard issues...looks like a conspriacy to me

In summary:
Time Warner, Austin, TX. I have INHD/HDNET, Locals, DiscoveryHD all working. The digital Movie and Sports Paks are working. The basic Digital channels are working, and the Analog channels are working. Some of the Analog channels which are also available as SDV are not working and some are , and there is different behavior between the two cards on that last count. Time Warner hates CableCARDs and apparently indoctrinates their techs to hate it too.

Time Warner Austin, TX requires a Truck Roll to install the cards. They put the Tech who came to my house to install the CableCARDS on hold for about 40 minutes before he could authorize the cards. During that time, he told me that he can't really do anything at my house, everything is done at the main office (why do they need to charge me for a truck roll then?). After about 2 hours on the phone with them, we finally got all the HD channels and the Analog channels authorized, however the SD digital channels were not authorized. A 2nd level Tech came out the next day (a Time Warner employee, the first was a contractor) and did nothing but complain about how they were being forced to provide CableCARDs and how I would be better off using their DVR. After another 2 hours on the phone with people who kept telling him to call somebody else, the SD digital channels started working on both CableCARDs. A hand full of channels are SDV, so I don't expect them to work. However Disney is both Analog and SDV, so I expect that to work, only the Analog feed. It does work on one CableCARD (the Analog signal is used), but it doesn't work on the second CableCARD (TiVo attempts to tune to the digital feed). The installer said that I should just use the tuner that works to record Disney, but TiVo doesn't work that way. Time Warner needs help configuring their network so that the CableCARDs use the Analog feed when the digital feed is SDV. Clearly it can be done, but somehow it is different between the two cards. Overall, it was a very painful experience getting it work, and I had to endure 2 hours of CableCARD hate from the Time Warner Employee. The Tech also told me that they planned to stop sending all analog and use SDV for everything to save bandwidth, then I would have to use the DVR that they provided.

All in all, Time Warner seems to hate CableCARDs and makes it as painful as possible to get them installed correctly. I still don't have Disney on one of the cards, but am scared to call them back lest they break something else. I don't have time to babysit a Tech at my house while he sits on hold and bouncing back and forth between people on the phone who don't want to help him.

TimeWarner installed the two cable cards in my S3 and it took about 20 minutes.

After the tech had left I noticed that the second cable card kept failing on any channel over 1600 (it would briefly show the channel, then go to the "call service" screen), so I called tech support. They quickly realized that the card wasn't properly paired with my hostId. Once they fixed that everything worked great on both cable cards.

The only problem I have now is that channel 102 consistently brings up channel 1531 on both tuners. Kids aren't too happy about that. A tech is scheduled to come by the house today to figure it out.

The HD quality is simply amazing, though. I've had no problems recording two HD shows at the same time. The Tivo seems to be less responsive when I'm recording a HD show, but it's hardly a reason to complain.

And unlike others, I've had no problems with the support I've received so far from Time Warner (other than the 20-30 minute wait times to get through to tech support).

I just had my cablecard's installed here in East Greenbush, NY. As with others, a number of channels are working, a number aren't. I haven't been able to localize it to a specific tier. This was the first S3 they have done out of this office. The tech asked the head end about the issue - they said to "wait an hour and see if the channels show up". I was pretty sure that this was just to delay, and the tech took off for another job. Anyway, one hour later, no change and I'm waiting to hear if the tech will be returning today.

Does anyone have anything I can share with TW that has helped? Everything I've read thus far just says unpair/repair and try a new card. Being in the tech industry, I'm really doubting it's the card and am guessing it's just a provisioning issue. Perhaps the card provisioning software just sucks and it has nothing to do with the provider. I used to see that all the time in carrier equipment. But if anyone has any definitive suggestions for when TW comes back I'd greatly appreciate it!

Does anyone have anything I can share with TW that has helped? Everything I've read thus far just says unpair/repair and try a new card. Being in the tech industry, I'm really doubting it's the card and am guessing it's just a provisioning issue. Perhaps the card provisioning software just sucks and it has nothing to do with the provider. I used to see that all the time in carrier equipment. But if anyone has any definitive suggestions for when TW comes back I'd greatly appreciate it!

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I read somewhere the cable cards dated 2005 or later work better. I don't know if it's true but if there is a date on the cards you have, check it out.